Graduate Student Engagement

Graduate students are an integral part of the AERE scholar network. The AERE Grad Student Engagement Committee, created by the AERE Board of Directors in 2020, works to serve and engage graduate students who have interests in environmental and natural resource economics. So far, the committee has fielded two main initiatives. 

Professional Development Panel Series

Experienced scholars in the field share their wisdom and experiences in panel discussions with graduate students as the intended audience, though all are welcome. These conversations are intended to increase student exposure and uncover aspects of the hidden curriculum in navigating a career in environmental and resource economics. Attendance is not restricted to AERE members!

Past Panels (AERE members, log in to view recordings; Non-member graduate students, please email a committee co-chair for access.)

  • September 30, 2022: "Opportunities for PhD Economists in Government and the Private Sector" featuring panelists Soumya Balasubramanya (World Bank), Laura Paul (USDA - ERS), and Eva Qi Tian (Meta - Facebook)
  • April 15, 2022: "Publishing in Environmental and Resource Economics" featuring panelists Amy Ando (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), co-editor at American Journal of Agricultural Economics and past editor at Resource and Energy Economics and Conservation Letters; Daniel Phaneuf (University of Wisconsin-Madison), editor at Land Economics, past editor at the Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economics (JAERE) and the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management; and Sheila Olmstead, University of Texas, JAERE editor, past editor at Environmental and Resource Economics, Water Resources Research, and Water Resources and Economics
  • October 22, 2021: “Preparing for Success on the Job Market,” featuring Jennifer Alix-Garcia, Max Auffhammer, Marc Bellemare, Hongxing Liu, Brian Prest, Brigitte Roth Tran, Laura Taylor
  • September 22, 2021: “What’s the Cutting Edge in Environmental and Resource Economics Fields?” featuring Belinda Archibong, Fiona Burlig, Tamma Carleton, Hannah Druckenmiller, Teevrat Garg, Ivan Rudik

Conference Activities

The AERE 2022 Summer Conference featured several events and activities planned by the AERE Graduate Student Engagement Committee. First up was the second installment of AERE’s Graduate Student Match-Up program, where AERE randomly matched graduate students and more senior professionals to arrange a get-together over coffee or a meal at the conference. Over 250 participants took advantage of this opportunity and received a $15 Starbucks gift card to cover the costs of coffee and a snack.  The GSE Committee also created an AERE Summer Conference Bingo Game and invited those who chose to play to find conference attendees who met certain criteria, for example, "Can cook dinner in 20 minutes or less". On the last day of the conference, graduate students who woke up early attended a breakfast mixer where they heard career advice from the two new AERE fellows and prizes were awarded to high scorers and other randomly selected participants in the bingo game. 

Other Ideas?

We have other ideas brewing, but if you have any suggestions or thoughts, please reach out to one of the committee co-chairs.